This Christmas comedy about Buddy the Elf (Will Ferrel) leaving the North Pole to try and find his real father in the great big city of New York is sweet and funny. The situations he finds himself in (confronting a department store Santa; spraying perfume into his mouth; pouring maple syrup onto his spaghetti) are hilarious, but the humor is only part of the film’s popularity. The real appeal is the touching story of a boy trying to reconnect with his estranged father and remain true to himself in a world that does not celebrate those who are “different.”

~ Evan Derrick